Retaining wall



.June 10, 1 930. T R 1,762,343

RETAINING WALL Filed D430. 14, 1925 lNVENTOR ghareas 7 70/7560 ATTORNEYPatented June 10, 1930 PATENT OFFICE ANDREAS MUNSTER, OF SEATTLE,WASHINGTON RETAINING WALL Application filed December 14,- 1925.

This invention relates to improvements in retaining walls and moreparticularly to a method of constructing retaining walls which are, forthe greater part, earth fills.

Explanatory to the invention, I will state here that it has beensatisfactorily demonstrated that an ordinary earth fill, consisting ofearth, sand, gravel and a certain percentage of clay placed behind aretaining wall has certain properties in commonwith masonry although indifferent degrees, and that by utilizing these properties it ispracticable to construct a retaining wall of the earth fill itself.

I In view ofthe above, it is an object of this invention to provide amethod of and means whereby an earth fill may be so unified that it willserve in the same capacity as the ordinary gravity masonry wall.

. More specifically stated, the invention resides in the provision of aretaining wall embodying a thin face wall as a retainer for one side ofan earth fill and to which a plurality of tension members, having anchorplates fixed thereto, are attached and extended into the earth fill insuch manner that the body of earth contained within the face wall andanchor plates farthest therefrom will act as a unit to resistoverturning due to pressure of the earth filling back of the mass thusunified essentially in the same manner as a masonry retaining wall ofthe gravity type.

Other objects of the invention reside in the various details ofconstruction which permits settling of the tension members with theearth fill without causing disconnection from' the surface wall andwhich provides for a reduction of pressure in the proper proportionunder the rear portion of the unified fill.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- I Figure 1is a transverse vertical section of a retaining wall constructed inaccordance with details of the present invention.

. Figure 2 is an enlarged, sectional detail taken substantiallyon theline 2-2 in. Fig ure 1.

Serial No. 75,235.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Referring more in detail to the several views of the drawings 1designates a vertical retaining wall or face plate provided as aretainer for the outer side of the earth fill which is designatedat 2.This wall 1 is made sufiiciently strong to resist incidental pressure ofearth in the fill but need not be anchored at the base in any way forthe purpose of resisting a tendency to overturn due to the pressure ofthe earth back of that embodied in the wall itself. A footing, asdesignated at 3, may be provided if necessary or desired to prevent thewall from settlingto any appreciable extent due to its weight and thedownward drag of the earth bearing against it.

Secured to the inner face of the wall 1 and extended back into the earthfill in a downwardly inclined position, are tension members 4 eachprovided at spaced apart intervals along its length with anchor plates5. The tension members are provided in sufiicient members and aregradually shortened in length from the base toward the top of the fillso that the earth prism composed within the face wall 1 and the anchorplates 5 at the inner ends of tension members will be unified and willact as a unit to resist being oversirable that the tension members havea sliding connection with the wall which will permit the points ofconnection to shift downwardly in accordance with the rate or amount towhich the fill settles. Several methods of construction may be used topermit this but a preferred construction is shown in Figures 1 and 2wherein 1O designates ribs that are formed vertically on the inner faceof wall 1 with flanged outer edges 11. Where the retaining wall is ofconcrete construction the ribs 10 and flanges 11 would be formed as anintegral part of the wall.

The tension members 4 used in the present construction, compose pairedbeams 12 and 12 disposed in parallel relation and extended at theirforward ends between adjacent ribs 10 on the face wall and havecrossbars 13 fixed transversely thereto with their, ends disposed within theflanges 11 on ribs 10 to thus anchor the tensionmembers to the wall butpermitting these ends to slide downwardly between the ribs, as the earthsettles, without breaking their holding connection with the wall. V

Secured to the beams 1212 at spaced intervals toward their inner endsare cleats 14 to which transverse anchor plates 15'are fixed. Theseanchor plates are provided in sufficient number that the tension memberscan not be pulled forwardly and so that they will serve also to preventany sliding or shearing of earth within the earth prism thusunified bythe wall and tension members.

It is readily apparent that with the tension members provided insufficient number and located at proper distances apart both verticallyand horizontally, a unified earth prism will be provided that will besubject to and will'take the same kind of stresses and induce the samekind of variation in foundation pressure as the ordinary gravityretaining wall of masonry and the same principles which govern thegeneral dimensions of masonry walls should-be applied to the to preventsliding and to give a comparatively small reduction in foundationpressure at the back and the tension members should be given sufiicientsection and attached anchor plates sutficient area to resist thepressureon the particular area of the face plate which they serve.

' It is to be understood that various kinds of tension memberscould beused and various kinds of anchor plates may be employed. ,Also that themanner-ofattaching the tension members to the retaining wall isimmaterial so long as'it' is secure and-permits a vertical adjustment ofthe connection in accordance with the settlement of'earth in the un fiedearthp'r'is'm. 1 The-construction here shown is'suitable where woodenbeams are used'in making'up the tension fmembe'rs and v-it-hfas beenfound thatwooden beams and V lumber when properly treated with creosoteThe present arrangement of tension mempresent construction provides thatthe ten- ,sion members have no fixed connection" at their inner end butare provided in suficient number and in such relation that they togetherserve as a means of unifying or solidifying an otherwise loose andincoherent mass.

W hilein the other instance, there is no intention of unifying the earthfill but simply to provide a holding connection between a retaining walland a fixed object which, as a rule is located at considerable distanceback of the wall.

The present construction may be made at a great saving as compared tothe cost of a masonry wall and with less work and in a much quickertime.;

, Having thus described my invention, what I claim asnew thereinfanddesire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. A retaining wall comprising a face plate, an earth fill supportedagainst the face plate, tension members having ends slidably attached tothe face plate to permit relative movement vertically withoutdisconnection and extended substantiallyhorizontally into the fill andanchor members fixed at intervals to the tension members; said tensionand anchor members being provided in sufiicient number and at suchrelation that they act to unify theearth of the fill to function as asubstantially solid mass. 1

'2. A retaining wall comprising a face plate, an earth fill supportedagainst the face plate, tension members having ends slid- -ably attachedto the face plate to permit relative movement vertically withoutdisconnection and extended substantially horizontally into the fill andanchor members fixed at intervals to the tension members; said'tensionmembers being extended inwardly. and inclined'downwardly and provided insufficient number and with sufficient anchors so as tounify the earth ofthe fill and to exert an uplift that will reduce the pressure'of thelower inner portion'of the fill.

3. A retaining wall comprising a face plate, an earth'fill supported "bythe plate,

tension members secured to the plate and extended into the fill, andanchor plates fixed at intervals to the tension memebrs'; said tensionmembers being gradually increased in length from the top toward the baseof- 'the fill and provided in sufiicient'number and relation withsufii'cient anchor plates that together with the face plate they serveto unify the earth prism between the plate and anchor plates atthe innerends ofthe'tension members to'functi'on as a substantially solid mass.

4, A wall of the character described comprisinga retaining-plate or wallhaving'vertical ribs formed on 'its' inner face with flanged outeredges, an earth fill supported against the inner face of the wall,tension members comprising beams joined in parallel relation with theirinnerends disposed between adjacent'ribs of the 'wall, cross bars fixedto the inner ends of the beams with their ends retained for verticalslidable movement between the ribs and Within the flanges thereon, andanchor plates being in suffieient numher and relation so as to unify theearth fill to function as a substantially solid mass.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 28th day of October,1925 ANDREAS MUN STER.

